Take a look at the new video for Trumpeter Swan's album The Magnitude of Now. I co-produced, played on, and mixed this record last year at The Creamery and with with Tom Beaujour at The Nut House 2 rivers away in New Jersey. Drew Patrizi, (band leader/ mastermind) invited me for a cameo in the video as well! When I first saw it back, I was dumbfounded- I think because I spent so much time developing the song with something in mind. I didn't immediately see the connection. It's a serious video that over time, I interpreted as a homage to portraiture through a very modern lens. How strange the concept of portraiture is in our dynamic/ video enhanced view of things now. The song deals with a nostalgia in a way the song does. It's beautifully made and continues to grow on me and continues to spark my curiosity. It's a great album you can pick up here.

Long-time Creamery collaborator, Jacob Plasse, sent me a couple demos last year that had me confused. “It’s going to be this afrobeaty-latin-funk thing!” he said emphatically. But the iPhone recordings I got were of a spanish voice singing in a low register over some piano and guitar chords. Okayyyy? I was missing the picture but I was encouraging none-the-less since we had a history of great projects together. But where was the aftro-funk? Arranger Mike Eckroth worked along side Jacob and singer/ lyricist Jainardo Batista stepped forward giving a voice to the songs. Fast forward to the day of the session when Daptone‘s veteran rhythm section stepped into the room along with some of NYC’s most notorious percussionists and horn players. The fire was instantaneous! Jacob had actually only come to me the day before the session asking, “This is just gonna be a rehearsal we use for the demos, but you think you could record them?” I rolled my eyes and got to work, trying to figure out how to fit this 13-piece band onto my 8- track reel to reel recorder. It can be done! In two short sessions we captured the 9 songs on the album. A few overdubs later and a brilliant mix by Jim Bertini and the record was complete. This is really a uniquely NYC sound that blends Brooklyn’s worldbeat and funk scene with some of the baddest latin players this city produces. If you can get the vinyl, it sounds extra special. Pick it up here in digital form. Thanks to the great players who made recording this a breeze.

Proud to present this beautiful video for “Chapters”, the leading song off Tim Pourbaix’s brand new record, River Well. This is an album I produced last year and a band I currently have the pleasure of performing with. Director Nicolas de Miranda had such a great vision for this song and it was cool to be on set and watch him bring it together. Also, brilliantly edited/collaged by Amateur Blonde‘s Ryan O’Toole. It captures so much the feeling of Tim’s lyrics and what I had in mind of the sound. Here’s a little write up from Diffuser when they premiered the video.

Some music is so ephemeral that once you try and capture it in the studio, it’s magic completely disappears. It becomes the equivalent of a low-rez, blurry flash photo taken of what you had perceived as a beautiful, mysterious woman dancing in low light- POOF! Gone! Few bands have what it takes to kneel to the Gods of improvisation and cut a record this way, but I knew Live Footage would be just the band to do it. For nearly 2 years Live Footage has been cultivating this improvisational sorcery before live audiences at their Apotheka residency. This two piece band creates such lush worlds of sounds. I believed we could capture these moody moments in such a way to keep their mystique in tact. I love this record so damn much. It’s best heard front to back as there are themes along this narrated voyage. Here’s the teaser video they produced to give you a little flavor of each cut on the record. Give the full album a listen and you won’t regret it.

The power of perspective is amazing. Sometimes when we are too close to something we make, we just can’t see what it is. In this case, I got to be the guy standing at the back saying, “yeah, it’s a little crooked”. This record was brilliantly recorded by members of the Daptone gang at their Dunham studio. When it came time to mix and nothing had quite clicked, Jacob Plasse invited me to take a spin on it. 2 days later, the album was done- and without the use of a single computer! Those guys take their tape seriously- and you can hear it. Awesome band and amazing recording. Thanks for the chance to mix!

Thanks to my longtime friend and collaborator Ben Poster for binging Mø over for a live recording sesh on their recent US tour. These guys have worked with Diplo and a crew of other very talented musicians. I wish I could upload the performance in its entirety- as it is quite different from what you hear on their album and yet awesome in its own right. Check out why Pitchfork and the likes are talking about these guys.

No doubt this will go down as one of the finest records ever made at the Creamery – in 3 days- just like olden times! Disclaimer aside, I love this band and this record. I went to see them play the first time last winter in Chinatown at this same speakeasy where this music video was shot. I was floored by the performance and when the multi-tallented producer (and Tres player), Jacob Plasse, asked if I would record and mix the band on a shoestring in 3 days- how could I say no? Take a look at the other post “Cuban Tapes” for a little behind the scenes footage. I wanted to capture the spirit of the room and the feel of the old cuban songs they play. We even got a party going over here at the end of the session to keep the song and dance alive. Thanks Los Hacheros- you make recording an old time cuban record seem easy!

Making an album is such a mysterious process sometimes. I don’t know if I’ve ever worked on a project that I flipped back and forth so many times thinking, “this is the greatest sounding stuff I’ve recorded!” and then “what the fuck is this supposed to sound like?”. Fortunately the ever-cool-tempered band leader of Leland Sundries, Nick Loss-Eaton, trusted me and patiently we carved away at this record until it really felt right. Each song on the album has a unique musical character, from rag time to sea shanty. Finding the right elements to exaggerate and where to create musical continuity was such an interesting challenge. By the time I was finished, my head was spinning wondering if we’d done the right thing. Nick’s narrative songwriting and voice tie it all together and after I stopped working on it and listened again months later, I was able to appreciate all the hard work we did and the great stories he paints. “Apparition” is one of my favorites. Melodica and midi keyboard orchestra at the end? I would normally cringe but I love how this came out! http://www.lelandsundries.com or buy it!